Jay Rohr
Weekend at the End of the World hits the ground running. It’s easy to get optimistic that this might be a gem slipping under the radar. Having an Olympic-level comedian in the cast doesn’t hurt either. The film then resembles a thoroughbred racing towards exhaustion. By the close, it barely crosses the finish line. Fortunately, a few last gasps of cleverness keep things enjoyable enough to hold any audience’s dwindling interest.
After a marriage proposal goes humiliatingly wrong, Karl (Clay Elliot) retreats with his best buddy Miles (Cameron Fife) to a cabin in the woods. There, the two attempt to drown their woes in alcohol. Playing a drinking game using occult cards found in the cabin, these liquor-lubricated goofs conjure a gateway to unspeakable evil. The unlikely heroes must then venture into dark dimensions to dispel the creeping cosmic horror before it consumes all.
There’s a solid concept at the heart of Weekend at the End of the World. The story contains a few decent twists and turns that set things up, as well as shift the perception of events in interesting ways. Even when some of the foreshadowing occurs long before events happen, there’s a wonderful sense of being unsure what exactly is going to transpire. Some anticipation builds knowing what will likely occur without knowing precisely when.
Overall, this is supposed to be a movie about friendship, getting over heartbreak, and finding the courage to face the horrors of existence. Those themes often feel a tad tacked on. Weekend at the End of the World doesn’t always set up its stakes in the best possible ways. Most of the events are delivered in exposition dumps. Furthermore, character relationships suffer from a sense that the filmmakers know more of the backstories than they adequately share with the audience.
Instead of really understanding certain dynamics, particularly between the supposed best friends, viewers are left to make logical leaps. Although these are rarely across gaping pits, having to take a second to figure out a character’s history can interfere with a watch. Weekend at the End of the World promises a brain-off kind of comedy — relax, just let the laughs happen — and pausing to wonder about unclear elements can be like hitting a speed bump at high velocity.
Yes, some twists recontextualize intentions, but they often come across like unpolished plot points. The crude scaffolding of a clever film is here. The script just needed a little extra work to better deliver certain outcomes.
At risk of sounding sarcastic, this film is Evil Dead for Schmucks. So, there is a comedic intent alongside a desire to offer a degree of horror. That degree is negligible, though it doesn’t start that way. There is a nice subtle buildup in the beginning with implicative purple lights in the background, flickering unnoticed by the main characters. Plus, a quality use of reactions to things not on screen, which adds a slight shiver-inducing apprehension about what evils may await. Weekend at the End of the World creates an anticipation that it then largely fails to deliver on.
The problem isn’t so much director Gille Klabin, who did all the special effects for the feature. In addition, he reunites with cinematographer Aaron Grasso, with whom he worked on The Wave (2019), delivering here an eerie visual quality to the cabin scenes that are fantastic, a murky mix of muddy lighting alongside neon-soaked shadows. It’s the low-budget limitations that Weekend at the End of the World can’t navigate around. Instead of sticking to subtlety and saving cash for one or two grand moments, the movie ends up looking like a well-financed YouTube video. Essentially, the feature sacrifices clever use of FX for flashy moments that don’t add much to the film overall.
I often found myself thinking of Equinox (1970), a cult classic midnight movie favorite that portions of this picture echo. While that flick is inadvertently comedic, Weekend at the End of the World aims to be humorous. There are portions of the movie where it soundly succeeds. The opening back and forth between the main characters is fabulous. Many of the movie’s most successful comedy comes from exchanges involving Clay Elliot (Go for Broke) and Cameron Fife (Not Quite College). Otherwise, it’s hit or miss.
Thomas Lennon (Reno 911) completes the trio of unlikely heroes, but for some reason, the flick immediately makes him a semi-verbal possessed person. His interactions with others are reduced to grunts and extreme facial expressions. It seems like a waste to have such a comedic talent on hand and then essentially mute him. While his performance has some decent moments, Weekend at the End of the World handicaps one of its best assets for a gag that doesn’t always work.
Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars) rounds out the cast as a resurrected grandmother. Her arcane knowledge helps propel the plot forward, while hinting at darker events down the line. The performance is fine. The problem is the script, which makes most of her dialogue declarations or worse, info dumps.
That expositional aspect may stem from the fact that Weekend at the End of the World is only about 81-minutes long. On the one hand, getting to the point keeps it far from overstaying its welcome. The movie starts, delivers, and ends right before it begins to get too boring. On the other hand, Weekend at the End of the World races towards the next moment instead of exploring anything. Consequently, the flick is busier setting up situations than it is following their organic outcomes.
Weekend at the End of the World is an ideal opener for any beer and a pizza movie marathon. Like most opening acts, missing it doesn’t risk losing out on much, and those who pay attention will be reasonably entertained. The stellar beginning steadily loses steam until the movie thankfully ends, presenting more potential than it fulfills. That makes Weekend at the End of the World a great background picture while awaiting the main event.
